There You Are
by RainbowsandRibbons
Summary: Blaine Anderson has recently transferred to Dalton Academy. A firm believer in soulmates, he is determined to find his own but with his family history indicating he'll have to wait until at least his 30s, will Blaine cope if he too has to wait that long? Do his weird dreams mean anything or is his psyche trying to confuse him even more? Please review & let me know what you think!
1. Manchester, 1821

Chapter 1

_Manchester 1821_

"I just don't know how much longer I can take it." Stephen dropped into the worn chair in the living room. The fire flickered in the grate as Nicola tried to stir it back to life with the cast iron poker. Looking up at her husband, she smiled gently.

"We nearly have enough money to emigrate. I can always go back to the mills." Nicola pulled herself up from the cold stone floor and walked over to her husband. Curling up on his lap, she snuggled into his neck and wrapped her arms around his neck. Kissing the corner of his jaw, she wiped a touch of soot from his cheek as he turned to face her, eyes shining.

"You know I don't want you working there. It's too dangerous and I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you. Especially now that we're so close to our dreams finally coming true." Stephen kissed the tip of Nicola's nose gently. "Do you remember the day we met?"

"How could I forget!" Nicola smiled, "You saved me from Mr Smythe's runaway cart – even if I did end up in a puddle." She giggled.

"I prefer to think of it as sweeping you off your feet." Stephen pouted, knowing his wife couldn't resist. "I still can't believe I found my soulmate and she was living in the next village over all this time. It may have taken 37 years to find you, but I'm never letting you go - even if it did take me to realise what was right in front of me." Stephen smiled.

"All those wasted months we could have been loving each other but instead we were both too scared to admit our feelings first." Nicola spoke softly, remembering the first few weeks they were getting to know each other.

"I still remember hearing you sing to yourself in the garden when I came to call for you. That's when I knew I could never bear to be without you. That's why, " Stephen stood and pulled Nicola up with him and caught her in a gentle embrace, "we're going to sail to America, we're going to find ourselves a nice little ranch, raise some cattle and give our child the life we could only dream of." Stephen rubbed his hand gently over Nicola's swollen belly. She was due to give birth within weeks and Stephen hoped they could be on a ship before that happened.

"Do you think our child will find their soulmate earlier than we did?" Nicola asked, smiling as she felt her baby kick.

"I hope so. Come on, I've got an early start at the mine tomorrow, let's get to bed before the fire dies completely." Stephen kissed his wife gently and led her across the tiny one roomed cottage and let her climb into the makeshift bed first. As he sat down to take his shoes off, he felt the firmness of the straw mattress and smiled to himself. Even in her heavily pregnant condition, Nicola continued to keep up with all the household chores so that Stephen could relax when his 14 hour shift down the mines was over. Laying down beside her, he stroked Nicola's raven coloured hair as they drifted off to sleep, both unaware that a stray piece of cloth had blown into the fire.

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_Ohio 2009_

Blaine woke suddenly, sweat dripping down his back. Rubbing at his eyes, he tried to remember what woken him up. Looking over at his alarm clock he saw the red digits taunting him, _3:23am, you have got to be kidding me_. Throwing himself back onto his pillow, Blaine tried to remember what had caused him to wake up so sharply. No images came into his mind and he felt as though the harder he tried to remember, the harder the images were to solidify. Sighing heavily, he flung his forearm across his face in an effort to force himself back to sleep. After half an hour of wriggling to get comfortable, his body finally succumbed.

When the alarm finally buzzed loudly at 6:45am, Blaine had already been lying awake for 15 minutes. Reaching over blindly, he managed to silence the alarm without knocking it off his nightstand. He tried to ease his mind by remember his schedule for the day. It was Tuesday which meant double maths followed by French, English, US history, Spanish and gym class. Blaine groaned as he remembered that it was lacrosse today for gym class. His current school was nothing like his old one where a lacrosse session would have resulted in bruised legs and swollen ankles caused by "accidental" hits from his classmates but he still didn't enjoy gym class. Blaine loved sports – he loved football and was a talented boxer but he just didn't enjoy standing outside in the playing fields for an hour while the temporary coach tried to explain the rules rather than letting the class try the game for themselves. Still, at least he had Warbler practice that afternoon.

He was halfway through the Pythagoras theory when his phone buzzed silently in his pocket. He managed to get the phone from his pocket and under his textbook.

"_warblers, senior commons, 3pm, HnC"_

Rolling his eyes, he deleted the text as was protocol. He caught the eye of his friend, Nick, across the classroom who was smiling at him and appeared to be laughing to himself. Blaine smiled back, shook his head and turned back to his work. It was common for the Warblers to throw impromptu performances in the senior commons and the council would decide which of the previously rehearsed songs would be performed. The council would send a text to all the Warblers who were expected to maintain the code of secrecy and not discuss any performance details with non-Warblers or within earshot of them. Blaine sometimes wondered how it would look to someone who didn't know this – an a cappella show choir bursting into song complete with a perfectly choreographed routine. He shook his head to himself and tried to focus on the triangles in front of him whilst quietly practising the routine with his feet under his desk.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully and as the final bell went at 2:45pm, Blaine dutifully made his way towards the senior common room which also doubled as the Warbler's rehearsal space. As he walked through the lush hallways, Blaine thanked his lucky stars he'd been transferred to Dalton Academy once the bullying at his previous school turned physical. He shivered as he recalled the night of the Sadie Hawkins dance the year before when he'd finally come out and taken his friend as his date. It was the first "real" date for both of them after they'd both come out as gay. The last thing they'd expected was to be assaulted whilst waiting on their ride home. His friend, Paul, had transferred out of state and Blaine's parents had arranged for him to attend Dalton. Even though he missed the small circle of friends he'd made at his old school, Dalton's zero-tolerance policy had ensured a warm welcome waited for Blaine from the minute he set foot inside the grounds. The school was definitely aimed towards those who had money. Aside from the high tuition costs, the crystal chandeliers, mahogany tables and Italian marble staircases made it clear that Dalton expected high standards.

However, with Blaine boarding at Dalton during the week and not very many gay students, Blaine began to wonder if he'd ever be able to meet someone. He loved his school and had many friends and although his parents didn't understand why Blaine couldn't just fall in love with Mrs Crawford's gorgeous blonde daughter they had told him they wouldn't stand in his way if he found someone he wanted to be with. His friends and family were supportive but for some reason the universe seemed against him. Still, he was only 15 – there was still time. After all, his parents hadn't met each other until they were in their 30's – Blaine was their miracle child.

Blaine let his hand drag along the iron railing as he walked down the main staircase in the atrium, nearing the senior commons. He smiled as students rushed passed him – word about the performance had finally broken! Blaine smiled as he thought back to when his parents had told him the story of how they'd met, fallen in love and married within 6 months, had his big brother cooper less than a year later then struggled to provide him with a sibling for the next 10 years. When Blaine had made his way into the world, he quickly became the favourite – "our little miracle" his parents called him. His parents were nearing their 60s now but continued to surprise Blaine with the depth of their love for each other. Blaine knew they were soulmates and had spent his youth dreaming of when he'd meet his own soulmate. He rounded the corner and heard the tell-tale intro to the Katy Perry hit "Hot n Cold". Dropping bag by the door, Blaine took his place at the front of the group.

_You change your mind like a girl changes clothes_

_Yeah, you PMS like a bitch, I would know_

_And you overthink, always speak_

_Critically_

_I should know_

_That you're no good for me_

Before he knew it, the song was over and the Warblers were being applauded loudly by their classmates. Blaine blushed, still not used to the attention he received as the lead singer. Before long, the day students had left and the boarders were being called to the dining room. They were lucky really, as the teachers all left by 5pm which meant the boarders were only monitored by the night staff who were usually not as strict as the day staff. Blaine, Nick & Wes were all lying in Nick's room finishing off their maths homework when Blaine broke the silence.

"Wes, do you believe in soulmates?" he asked, not lifting his head from his book.

Nick rolled his eyes and threw himself back on his bed.

"Not this again, dude!" he sighed. Wes, new to the soulmate question, looked puzzled. "Just ignore him Wes," Nick teased, "he's feeling lonely and is convinced there's one special person out there for him so he obsesses over whether or not he'll find his one true love before he's grey and wrinkly"

"Ok," Wes said slowly. He looked over at Blaine, who was now blushing and unnaturally focussed on his maths book. "Blaine, I'm not sure I believe in soulmates but I do believe there's someone out there for everyone. You just need to be patient and who know – maybe he'll come to you!" Blaine looked up and smiled at Wes gratefully.

"Thanks Wes, unlikely that's ever gonna happen but thanks anyway!" he smiled, put his pencil down and closed his books. "I'm done guys so I'm going to bed, hopefully I'll actually sleep tonight! See you tomorrow."

Wes & Nick said their goodnights as they returned to their own homework. Blaine made his way back to his own room two doors away. Closing the door and locking it behind him, he put his books on his desk and got himself ready for bed. A quick shower was all he needed as he'd showered properly after gym class. He sighed as he caught sight of his tangled curls in his bathroom mirror. Dalton policy prohibited excessive styling so he was never able to smooth his wild hair completely but now that it was wet and product-free it looked wilder than ever. Combing quickly, he managed to settle it down slightly. Pulling back his covers, he climbed into bed weary and hoping for sleep to come quickly.

Sleep came for Blaine but didn't plan on staying for long – which Blaine found out when he woke up sharply at 3:23am.


	2. Lyons, 1665

Chapter 2

_Lyons 1665_

"Jacques? Jacques? Are you in here?" Estelle crept slowly through the small hut that was her home. It was so dark and silent that she began to worry when her boyfriend didn't answer her. She dropped the bundles of branches by the door and squinted through the darkness. Edging forward slowly, she heard the ragged breathing in the corner. Sighing heavily, she made her way over to her boyfriend. She knelt down beside him and stroked the matted hair away from his forehead.

"Jacques, it's been 3 days. Please, let me fetch the apothecary." Estelle whispered. Jacques shook his head slowly, wincing in pain. Estelle sighed, "Please, I don't know what to do."

"I'm fine. I'm feeling better today, I promise. I'll be back to normal soon, just watch!" Jacques tried to smile but it looked more like a grimace as another wave of pain shot through him. "Tell me a story, tell me how we met."

Estelle smiled, Jacques was such a romantic and loved the story of how they met. Pulling a chair over beside the bed, Estelle took Jacques' hand, smiled softly and thought back to the day 6 weeks ago when they had met at the market. She had been buying bread for her parents who were ill when the shopkeeper had taken offence to something he thought she had said. She was trying to defend herself when the burly man had raised his hand as if to strike her. A dark haired man had jumped in-between them and caught the shopkeepers hand before it connected with Estelle's face. She straightened up as she realised this stranger had saved her.

"I knew there was something special about you when I looked into your brown eyes. It was like I'd been looking for something all my life and suddenly, there you are. Best 6 weeks of my life" Estelle smiled and kissed Jacques forehead as his hazel eyes closed for the final time. Estelle could feel her heart breaking as her 35 year old boyfriend's heart stopped. Although they'd never married, after only 6 weeks together they both knew that's what they'd wanted. Her younger siblings had all died before that age of 18, her parents had died shortly after she met Jacques and now at 34, the only person she'd ever loved was gone too. The plague had claimed another victim.

Sobbing heavily over the body of her lover, Estelle hadn't noticed the black mark on her back that signalled she'd be joining her soulmate soon.

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_Ohio 2009_

"Fuck!"

Blaine rubbed his eyes again and looked over to his alarm clock. He wasn't surprised when the time showed 3:23am. Every night for the past 6 weeks he'd woken up at the same time with sweat dripping down his back and over his thick eyebrows. Pushing the covers back he lay back on his pillow trying to chase his dream to no avail. Leaning over, he used the pencil by his alarm clock to add another tally mark to the sheet. 16. 16 different dreams that he couldn't remember. _That's just weird_ Blaine thought to himself, _if I can't remember them, how do I know there's 16 different ones?_ Blaine tried to focus on the remnants of the dream in his head. He coughed suddenly, his chest feeling tight. Crossing to the bathroom, he got himself a glass of water and tried to calm himself. Catching sight of himself in the bathroom mirror, he was surprised to see his curls hadn't actually gone too wild over night. He refilled the glass and took it back through to his room, taking a sip before placing it on the nightstand. Again, he managed to fall asleep again until his alarm alerted him to the start of his day.

Blaine was deep in thought over breakfast that morning when Wes sat down beside him with a thud, snapping him out of his silent reverie with a jump.

"Oh, hey Wes." He smiled slightly before returning to his cereal.

"Hey man, what's up with you? Dreams still waking you up?" Wes asked. Blaine nodded slightly before stifling a yawn. "Have you managed to remember any of them yet?"

"No, I know there's different ones because I can feel it when I wake up – I just feel different y'know?" Wes nodded, "but it's like there's a barrier stopping me from remembering exactly what it was about." Blaine finished his cereal and pushed his bowl away. Stretching and yawning, he rubbed his eyes and tried to shake himself awake.

"Warbler's practice after school today. You gonna be ok for it?" Wes asked, a piece of bacon filling his mouth. Blaine screwed his face up in disgust.

"Euw Wes, close your mouth when you chew!" Blaine exclaimed as Wes laughed.

"You're so...so...dapper!" Wes laughed as Nick sat down opposite.

"Blaine? Dapper? Wes, did you have your elbows on the table again?" Nick smiled, as Blaine rolled his eyes.

"I'm not dapper, I just have table manners!" he sighed, lifting his bowl and standing up, "now if you'll excuse me, I have class soon and I need to get ready...and he was chewing with his mouth open again!" Blaine stated, drawing Wes a look of mock horror as Nick & Wes laughed.

"See you in there Anderson!"Blaine waved his hand above his head without looking back. He dropped his bowl and spoon at the serving hatch and headed back to his room to grab his stuff. He checked his phone on the way back to his room and noticed a text from his brother. Cooper was living in LA and had "revolutionised the way people check their credit rating" – or at least that's how he described it. Blaine had always felt second best to Cooper. He loved his brother but couldn't help feeling that his accomplishments were nothing in comparison. His phone started ringing and he rolled his eyes when he saw his brothers face.

"Hey Coop!"

"Hey Squirt! How's life in the lap of luxury?" Cooper's smile could be heard through the phone and if Blaine didn't know any better he would swear Cooper had been awake all night too. Cooper swore by 8 hours sleep every night no matter what – even if it mean sleeping in late.

"A – don't call me Squirt, B – I don't live in the lap of luxury and C – everything is fine." Blaine sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he made it back to his room. "I'm just tired, Cooper."

"Do I need to give you another master class in beauty sleep little brother?"

"No, I just-"Blaine sighed, "I've been waking up in the middle of the night with some weird dreams." How much could he tell Cooper without sounding like a total nutcase. He decided to leave it at "weird dreams" – anymore than that and he'd risk humiliation and he wasn't in the mood for that just now.

"Weird dreams huh? Weird, like, sexy or just weird?" Cooper asked, sounding nervous.

"God, Cooper! No, just weird. I never remember them, I just know that I keep waking up at the same time every night feeling as though my dreams are trying to tell me something." Blaine sighed, sitting on the edge of his bed. "I dunno, maybe I'm studying too hard or something."

"Blaine, stop being too hard on yourself. It's just a dream, take a deep breath, roll over and go back to sleep." Cooper said, trying to sound like an authority figure.

"Thanks Coop. Hey, why did you phone?" Blaine asked, suddenly remembering Cooper had called him after the text.

"I got an audition little bro! George Lucas! You know what that means – Star Wars baby!" Cooper's voice getting louder as he got more excited.

"Wow that's amazing!" Blaine replied, shocked but happy, "Wait – I thought Star Wars was on hold just now? How did you get an audition for it?"

"Well, it's an un-named script just now but with Lucas' name its gotta be Star Wars right?!" Cooper explained as if it should have been obvious.

Blaine continued to chat for a few more minutes about Coopers upcoming audition before Blaine realised he only had 3 minutes to get to class. He bid goodbye to his brother, wishing him luck in his audition and promising to call him later. Pocketing his phone and grabbing his bag, Blaine hurried down to his first class of the day, relieved when he realised that even tho he was late, the teacher was later. He managed to get to his assigned seat and retrieve his folder from his bag before the teacher came in, looking even more harried than usual.

"Everything OK Mr Connell?" Wes asked, picking up a stack of papers that fell off the desk.

"Um, yes, thanks Wes, "Mr Connell took the papers from Wes and put them back on the desk, "Most of you here are in the Warbler's so I might as well tell you now." The boys all looked at each other, puzzled by the usually calm teacher's demeanour.

"What's going on Mr Connell?" Blaine asked.

"Well, I had a call from the National School Choir Committee this morning and it appears they've banned our set list." Mr Connell explained, as the Warbler's in his class cried in outrage. "Calm down boys, it's not as bad as it sounds. A choir last year did one of the songs we'd chosen but they mashed it up with a rather suggestive and offensive song so the Committee have decided to ban certain songs. Two of the songs we had picked were performed by this choir in the last 3 years so the Committee have prohibited their use due to the history of them within the competition. So we now need to come up with a brand new set list in 3 days, forward it to them and hope they don't have any problems with it before the competition."

Mr Connell dropped himself into his chair. He usually left the Warbler's to their own devices, they were all trusted and responsible members of the school and whilst the Council had responsibility for the daily running of the Warblers, Show Choir Committee rules stated they must have a faculty advisor.

"Mr Connell?" Blaine asked quietly, continuing on as Mr Connell looked up and motioned for him to continue, "there's Warblers practice after school today, I'm sure we can all work together to get something sorted for Sectionals. Have they given you a list of banned songs we can look at?

Mr Connell nodded, crossed the classroom and handed the list to Blaine.

"Give this to the Council at practice and tell them I said, no warbler leaves tonight without a three song set list that is guaranteed to get passed by the Committee." Mr Connell left the list with Blaine then walked back to the front of the class, trying to compose himself down enough to continue with the lesson. "Ok, boys, so lets get started. The Black Death, or Bubonic Plague, killed nearly 25% of the world's population at its peak in 1665." Blaine's head flew up from the list as he heard the year. He'd dreamt of that year, he's sure of it.

Blaine listened intently and took copious notes for the rest of the lesson. He listened intently as Mr Connell described that path the plague took through Europe, the symptoms of the disease and the lack of effective treatments at that time. He didn't realise he was crying until Mr Connell asked him about it.

"I'm ok, it's just sad to think of so many people dying from something we can cure with modern medicine." Blaine blushed, wiping his tears away. He still expected his classmates to mock him when his emotions were on display, just as they had done at his old school. Dalton was a different environment.

"I never thought of it like that before," Nick admitted, "We just take it for granted that we can take a pill and it'll fix us. The people must have been so scared back then." Blaine looked at his friend and smiled gratefully, glad that someone else shared his sense of compassion.

The rest of the day passed in a blur until Blaine was back in his room after dinner. Warblers practice had gone slightly smoother than he'd expected. The council agreed on the set list which was made up of sings the Warblers had already prepared and rehearsed. With only three days until sectionals, they were taking no chances by introducing something brand new. The set list was now: "So What" by Pink, "Since You Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson and The Fray's "How To Save a Life". The Warblers had then practiced the songs continuously for the next 2 hours until they were note and step perfect. Blaine had to admit that he felt more confident with the new set list than he had done with the now banned one.

He was unpacking his back to organise his homework when his history book fell open at the notes he'd taken that morning. As he studied the carefully written words, he felt something stirring inside him. He knew his dream last night had been about two people during the time of plague. Was that just coincidence? It felt like it but Blaine knew in his heart that his sub-conscious was trying to tell him something. If only he could remember the entire dream he might be able put everything together. Looking at his watch, he realised it was after 10pm.

Blaine quickly changed into his pyjama trousers and settled himself into his bed. He sighed heavily and rubbed his hands over his face. With one hand behind his head and the other resting on his stomach, Blaine slowly drifted off to another restless sleep.


	3. New York, 1981

AN: Thanks for reading the story so far. TYA is mainly a Blaine POV so please keep reading for some long-awaited Kurt. If he doesn't appear in Chapter 4 then he'll probably make himself known in Chapter 5!

Chapter 3

_New York, 1981_

"Oh my gosh, that was amazing!" Phillip smiled at the blue eyes beside him.

"I can't believe we did that! I was so sure we were going to get caught!" Mark panted, hands resting on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "Do you think we're safe?" Phillip looked around the corner of the alleyway they were hiding in. It was the annual neighbourhood water balloon fight and both men had run out of ammo.

"Perhaps, but then again, you're never entirely safe with me!" he winked and stood in front of Mark, his hand resting on the dark haired mans hips.

"So, maybe if my personal safety is at risk, I shouldn't be alone with such a dark, handsome stranger" Mark whispered, wrapping his arms around Phillips neck, his breath catching in his chest as Phillips lips pressed against his own. Mark allowed himself to become lost in the movement of their mouths and ran his fingers through the curls at the back of his boyfriend's hair. _Boyfriend,_ he thought, _I still can't believe it._

Mark was 47 and had resigned himself to the fact that he was destined to be single for his entire life. As a single man, everyone just assumed that he'd find a girl, settle down, get married – it was like a sombre Cat Stevens song. Something just didn't sit right with him inside with the idea of marrying a suitable woman and setting up house in the suburbs with the white picket fence. His parents had joked that he'd wither away and die alone if he didn't find Ms Right soon. What none of them – including Mark – had realised that it was MR Right he was really looking for all along.

Mark had only been living in New York for a couple of weeks when he managed to get himself lost. Standing in the middle of Times Square with a map probably wasn't the best thing to do when he was on his own but he figured that it was the best way to get his bearings and figure out where he actually was.

"_First day in the Big Apple?"_

"_Um, no, 16__th__ actually! I just can't seem to get the streets in order in my head" Mark joked as he turned to see a pair of brown eyes staring at him, "Hi, I'm still a bit new here! Do you think you could help me?"_

"_Sure, I'm Phillip"_

"_Mark", shaking the hand offered to him, Mark couldn't help but stare at the man in front of him. Phillip was slightly shorter than he was, had dark hair which looked as though it would have been curly had it not been held in place with a touch of hair product, such a lovely smile and his eyes – well, those eyes! Mark shook himself slightly, realising he was staring, "Sorry, it's been a long day. Job hunting gets quite tiring after a few hours!" Mark smiled, lifting his map up._

"_No problem. I remember my first few days in New York – I come from a quiet town so this was quite a culture shock to me! So," Phillip moved closer to Mark to get a better view of the map, "where are you trying to go?"_

Mark smiled as he remembered following 7 hours they had spent just chatting in a diner – the waitress refilling their mugs and refreshing their bowl of fries. Despite only knowing each other for such a short space of time, Mark felt so relaxed with Phillip. Listening to Phillip talk about his work, Mark felt himself getting lost in time, wishing the morning wouldn't come so that he could listen to this voice forever. Suddenly, Mark froze, this felt too natural. It didn't feel like friends talking anymore. Phillip had been speaking about his family back home and was describing something completely inane about his high school when Mark felt a twinge in his chest. Everything made sense to Mark now – the reason he didn't like any of the girls in elementary school, the reason he didn't want to date any of the cheerleaders in high school, the reason none of the dates his family and friends had set him up on since ever felt right – he wasn't interested in women, but this man, this man he could picture himself with in 20 years, sitting on a porch swing waving at passing neighbours. Phillip had noticed Mark sitting up straight and saw the look in his eye.

It had taken another 3 weeks before they had approached the subject of their attraction to each other. Even though attitudes were beginning to change, being gay was still incredibly frowned upon and Mark had heard so many horrible stories about men being assaulted and even killed just because they "looked" gay. Mark pulled away from Phillip's kiss and smiled.

"What's that look for?" Phillip asked, not knowing what was currently running through Mark's mind."

"Just thinking about the day we met."

"Ah, yes, the lost town mouse being saved by the not-so-lost country mouse and then converted to a life of debauchery and man kisses." Phillip smiled, his eyes twinkling.

"Ha ha ha – but you know I love the debauchery," Mark laughed, "Seriously though, I'm so glad I met you. I didn't know how lost I was until I found you. I love you so much."

"I love you too," Phillip kissed his lovers nose gently, "I can't believe it took me so long to find you. We're old men!" he smiled

"Speak for yourself!" Mark exclaimed, punching Phillip's arm gently. "I'm only 47, I still have some youth left in me somewhere! You're 3 years older than me, old man!" Mark winked.

"Oh so that's how you're going to play!" Phillip smiled, tickling Mark's ribs gently. "How did you know we were meant to be?" he asked, suddenly becoming serious.

"It was that time we went to the movies, we reached for the popcorn at the same time and I felt a touch of static electricity as our hands touched and I just knew. I just knew that you were what I'd been waiting for and searching for all my life – there you were."

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_Ohio, 2010_

Blaine sighed as he looked at the suitcase lying on his bed. It was his last day at home before he had to go back to Dalton after the Christmas break. It had been good being back at home and his big brother, Cooper, had even come home for a few days. Blaine didn't need to pack much for his time back at school and his small case was filled with new books, pyjamas and family pictures.

Blaine dropped onto his bed and threw himself back onto his covers. Last year had been a good year for Blaine Devon Anderson – new school, new friends, a win at Sectionals and Regionals were coming up in 3 weeks time. Blaine couldn't wait to get back to school to see all his friends to get back to work with the Warblers.

Something felt different though- Blaine was still having his weird dreams – still the same 16 dreams over and over again but he was starting to remember bits of them. He remembered feelings from the dreams too which helped him when he woke up at 3:23 am every morning. Although the feeling of loss, pain and illness were hard to deal with even though they weren't his own – it was the overwhelming feeling of love that upset him. Blaine had never felt anything like it before and he had convinced himself that he wouldn't experience it any time soon.

Something felt different though – Blaine couldn't describe it to himself, never mind anyone else but he just knew something was coming.

"What the hell was that Blaine? Do you realise what you've just done?" The blonde senior was yelling at Blaine so loudly that other students were stopping in the corridor outside to try and hear what was going on.

"It wasn't my fault! I didn't-"

"Exactly – YOU didn't! You didn't pay attention to where the rest of us were!" The seniors face was getting redder by the minute and Blaine could feel the tears burning his eyes. He could feel himself breaking when he heard Wes speaking behind him.

"Roger, lay off Blaine, man – it was me & Nick who took the group the wrong way – Blaine was right. Go easy on him." Wes put his hand on Blaine's left shoulder and Blaine could feel himself calming down. "We lost Regionals because the other groups were better – our choreography had nothing to do with it."

Blaine excused himself and went back to his dorm room. Competition season was over. Dropping onto his bed he pulled his knees up to his chin and wrapped his arms around them. Just 3 weeks ago this year had seemed so promising and now everything was going wrong. He heard a knock on his door and although he wanted to ignore it, the gentleman in him won. Trudging over, he opened the door to find Roger in front of him.

"I just wanted to apologise, Blaine. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

"Whatever, do you want to come in?" Blaine stepped back to let Roger enter his dorm room. Closing the door behind him, he walked back over to his bed and sat cross-legged on the covers, picking at a loose thread.

"Blaine, are you ok man?" Roger pulled Blaine's chair over from the desk and sat beside his bed. "Usually you'd have yelled right back at me, but lately you've been a lot quieter than usual."

"I don't know Roger, "Blaine admitted, "Can I talk to you? I mean, really talk, man to man, not warblers or Dalton boys?" Roger nodded, as Blaine took a deep breath and proceeded to tell him about the dreams that had been bothering him for months, about all his fears of not finding his soulmate and ending up an lonely old man. Roger nodded silently as Blaine talked, allowing every word that had built up inside of him to escape. Only when Blaine paused for more than a breath did Roger answer him.

"Blaine, you're 15, don't you think you're putting too much pressure on yourself? Look, I understand that it must be difficult for you when most of us are straight and there's not exactly a Dalton dating service when you're here most of the time but believe me, you will never be alone." Roger smiled as Blaine looked up at him, "You may not find your soulmate tomorrow, next week or even next year but believe me – anyone who has ever met you will love you and some day you'll find the one who will love you back just the way you want him to." Blaine smiled slightly and moved forward to hug Roger.

"Thanks man. I know I must sound like a crazy person."

"Not a person, Blaine, just someone eager to love – and that's not a bad thing. Come on, the warblers are intending to sing to you as an apology for going left instead of right today!" Roger pulled Blaine up onto his feet, smiling.

"I'm not going to sit there and be sung to! Don't I get to join?" Blaine pouted, smirking slightly

"Well, I'm not sure about that – you don't know many Katy Perry songs after all!" Roger laughed as Blaine pushed him out his dorm room door. Both teenagers continued to joke as they made their way back down to the Senior Commons where the Warblers were waiting.


	4. Edinburgh, 1802

A/N: Still no Kurt but we're getting closer to his arrival - it'll be worth it I promise! Please read & review! Thanks for all the views so far!

Chapter 4

_Edinburgh, 1802_

Sam stood outside the bar running his hands through his dirty hair. _What the hell was that_, he thought to himself, lighting his tobacco and inhaling deeply. The door beside him opened and the pale man's head appeared beside him.

The pale man's hand lingered on Sam's chest, toying with the hem of his tunic. Sam exhaled and sighed deeply. He knew he was risking his family's wrath if they found out he was being intimate with another man but something inside him was spurring him on. He hesitated, looking at the hand that was being held out for him. He knew he should walk away, be a good man and go home to his family, continue to care for his elderly parents, continue working in the family publishing business. Sam ran his hands through his hair again, lifting his eyes up to the handsome face staring down at him. Sam should know better, he was 51, he was well respected within the community, what would people think if they found out he'd been behaving in this way with a man?

As his brown eyes stared at the blazing blue ones smiling right back at him, Sam knew he didn't care. Something inside him knew that at that moment he was right where he needed to be.

"Still going strong?" he smirked, as the pale man grabbed his hand and pulled him back inside.

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

_Ohio, 2010_

Blaine lay in his own bed staring at the ceiling. He was thinking about the last 5 months at Dalton. After they lost Regionals in January, the Warblers had returned to their usual fortnightly concerts in local nursing homes and retirement centres. Blaine loved performing and although some of the warblers thought of these shows as just a way to hone their skills, Blaine loved that their songs brought smiles to the faces of the men and women watching them. Blaine smiled as he thought back to their last concert before school had finished for the summer.

The Warblers had been performing at the North Westerville Retirement Home and Adult Education Centre. The centre specialised in helping adults over 30 finish any missing high school credits and also ran short courses which helped their students to apply for local Community College courses. Half of the building also housed an assisted living facility which was home to 30 men & women over the age of 75 who, for various reasons, were unable to live in their own homes anymore. Blaine's favourite part of the concert day was when the Warblers spent time with the residents and students after they'd finished performing.

This year, Blaine had caught the eye of an elderly couple as he stood looking out the window watching raindrops race each other down the pane.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Pardon? Oh, hi Mr Wilkinson, Mrs Wilkinson. How are you?" Blaine smiled warmly and held his hand out to shake the one the elderly man offered him.

"You look lost in a world of your own there Blaine. Everything ok?" Mrs Wilkinson rubbed his arm in a caring way. Blaine smiled up at the couple he'd spoken to several times in the last year.

"Yes, I'm ok, thank you Mrs Wilkinson."

"You don't look ok son, if I might say, you look positively heartbroken!"

"Sorry, sir, I'm not heartbroken. Is it ok if I talk openly with you?" Blaine looked at the couple nervously. Glancing at each other, they both nodded and directed Blaine to their usual armchairs in the corner, away from the main throng of conversation.

"This year has been harder for me than usual and I don't understand why." Glancing up, Blaine noticed the Wilkinson's listening quietly. Taking a deep breath, he told his elderly friends about the dreams he'd been having, his worries that he was too sheltered to meet anyone and his frustration that he was never going to meet his soulmate or that it would be too late if he did.

"Did I ever tell you how I met Esther?" Mr Wilkinson asked. Blaine shook his head. "It was raining and I got caught in the downpour. I'd never noticed that Esther and I had lived so close to each other until the moment she handed me a towel to dry myself off." Lifting his wife's hand to his lips he kissed the thin skinned fingers gently. "I was sitting on the front step of the building and she handed me the towel. I looked up at her and couldn't believe the angelic face that was standing right in front me." Esther smiled and took over the story.

"He looked up at me, smiled the biggest smile I've ever seen and said "Oh, there you are. I've been looking for you forever." We were married 6 weeks later and we've never looked back. I don't know what I ever did without Stuart in my life." Esther smiled and kissed her husband lovingly.

"That's such a beautiful story. Your grandchildren must love hearing it." Blaine smiled.

"We don't have grandchildren, Blaine. We were both single when we met, by the time we found each other, starting a family just wasn't an option. That's partly why we love seeing you boys so much!" Esther smiled widely, a touch of sadness in her sparkling blue eyes. Blaine looked confused. "Something wrong?" Esther asked gently.

"I don't mean to be rude or pry, but you said you didn't have time to have a family? I just can't imagine a career being so all-consuming – sorry, I'm speaking out of turn." Blaine blushed, trying to regain his composure, feeling he'd insulted his friends. Esther & Stuart looked at each other, both understanding what Blaine had assumed from their story.

"Blaine, Stuart & I met right here, on those steps outside nearly 18 months ago." Esther explained, "Stuart had just turned 70 and I was 9 months behind him. Yes we'd had amazing careers, friends, lives – but we have only just found each other." Esther looked lovingly at her husband, "My soulmate – I waited all my life for you and I'm so glad I finally found you and that we can spend every minute of the rest of lives getting to know each other."

"It's hard to explain, Blaine, but it's never really felt like we'd never known each other – more like kindred spirits getting reacquainted." Stuart smiled softly. "So you see Blaine, you're only 15, you have the rest of your life to find your soulmate. Enjoy your youth, live your life, love the one you're with but don't waste your years, son. You'll meet him when it's the right time for you both." Blaine smiled and rested his smooth hand on the wrinkled one Stuart held out for him.

"Thanks Mr Wilkinson, Mrs Wilkinson." Looking up, Blaine noticed Roger motioning for the Warblers to make their way back to the bus that would take them back to Dalton. "I really appreciate you listening to me. When the time comes, I won't let you down." Blaine said his farewells and sat quietly on the bus back to Dalton, thinking about the story the Wilkinson's had told him.

Now surrounded by the silence of his room, Blaine remembered the call he'd received from the Resident Co-Ordinator just 3 weeks later. Stuart & Esther Wilkinson had both passed away peacefully in their sleep. It was the day after their 18 month anniversary. Blaine wiped a tear away from his face. _This is my destiny_, Blaine thought sadly, _I'll finally meet my soulmate then we'll die suddenly without getting to spend any real length of time together_. Sitting up, Blaine pulled his journal out from underneath his pillow. He'd begun to remember more of his dreams as time had gone on so had taken to writing down as much details has he could. He'd split the journal into sections – one for each of the 16 dreams he'd remembered and a blank section at the back for the most recent dream which hadn't yet made itself clear enough to remember.

Opening his journal to the first page, he ran his fingers down the list he'd carefully written listing the names, ages and dates of the people in his dreams:

_1) Stephen & Nicola Owens_

_37/36 1821 died in a fire 22 months_

_2) Jacques Belafonte & Estelle Benoit _

_35/34 1665 plague 6 weeks_

_3) Phillip Smith & Mark Byrne _

_50/47 1981 murder 9 months_

_4) Samuel McIntosh & Erasmus Blair _

_51/49 1802 pneumonia 17 months_

_5) _

_ 48/48 1600s? 20 months _

_6) _

_87/86 1902 6 months_

_7) Eric & Simone_

_ 62/60 influenza 23 months_

_8) _

_ 56/55 13 months_

_9) _

_ 34/31 4 weeks_

_10)_

_ 41/38 7 weeks_

_11) Paul & Donna_

_ 45/42 car accident 2 months_

_12)_

_ 51/50 14 months_

_13)_

_ 70/69 1794 natural causes 21 months_

_14)_

_ 72/72 1956 murder 19 months_

_15)_

_ 34/31 9 weeks_

_16)_

_ 58/54 16 months_

Blaine ran his fingers down the list he'd managed to create with the information he'd struggled to retain every time he woke up at 3:23am. The one thing every dream had in common was that no couple lasted more than 2 years before some sort of tragedy claimed their lives. Every morning when he woke up, he wipe the sweat from his face and write down as much as he could in his journal. He'd managed to gather some extra information using online records – family history websites and newspaper archives.

The dream that affected him most was the one about Mark & Phillip. Blaine wasn't sure if it was because they were a gay couple or if it was the brutality in the way they died that made his heart hurt. He'd found a newspaper article from the New York Times in March 1982. The pictures in the article confirmed to Blaine he had found the right couple. They'd been walking home from a night at the theatre with friends when a group of men had noticed them. Although the article didn't go into detail, it did say that Mark & Phillip were the victims of a homophobic attack. Mark had died at the scene after being stabbed in the neck. Phillip had succumbed to his injuries in hospital 3 days later.

It had made Blaine incredibly sad to read the article – especially when a follow up piece a month later stated that the police had not arrested anyone and had no leads, despite a spate of attacks on gay men in the area. Blaine knew that attitudes towards the gay community hadn't turned around completely but they were definitely more accepted now than they used to be. Blaine hated the idea of not being able to show someone how much you loved them just because you might upset someone. _That's not what love should be¸_ he thought sadly. Closing his journal, Blaine lay back down on his bed and closed his eyes as he heard his parents stirring downstairs.

Only 3 more weeks until the start of his sophomore year at Dalton. He still had the feeling that something was coming for him this year but since it was mid-August and nothing spectacular had happened to him, Blaine had resigned himself to that fact that his was in the clouds. Hearing the birds tweeting outside his window, he sighed heavily and lifted himself out of bed. Washing and dressing quickly he decided to take Wes up on his offer of a day out with him and his cousin. Wes' cousin, Finlay, was a senior in Columbus and was staying with Wes' family for the latter half of the summer break. Finlay had his own car and Wes loved taking advantage of this and was forever making Finlay drive him over to Blaine's house and take them out for a spin. Today's outing was Lima. Blaine had been to Lima a couple of times with his parents and it wasn't really anything special but as Blaine sent a text to Wes asking to join him & Finlay, he felt quite excited about the prospect of a visit to Lima.

3 hours later and the three teenagers were sitting in a coffee house called the "Lima Bean" drinking various coffees and sharing a giant cookie.

"So what now?" Wes asked Finlay.

"I was thinking we could head over to the Allen County Museum?" Finlay said, taking a sip of his coffee as Wes rolled his eyes dramatically. "Hey, a bit of culture won't hurt you little cuz! Besides, my roommate said they've got this giant tank and I want a picture of me on it!" he grinned widely as Wes' jaw dropped.

"I'll take one of you if you take one of me!" he cried loudly, Blaine blushing as the group of teenagers a few tables away glared at them.

"Come on then soldiers!" he stood up, saluting with his tongue hanging out comically, "Let us away to the tanks!" Wes & Finlay stood up and followed behind Blaine as they marched out the coffee shop laughing along the way.


End file.
